Severed Ties: A Series of Oneshots
by Zinbuki-san
Summary: Inuzuka Hanmou, grand niece of Inuzuka Kiba [Hana's grand daughter], is possibly one of the strongest members of the Inuzuka clan yet... and possibly the deadliest Akatsuki member in current existance. The best part? She's blind... and only 10 years old.
1. Severed Ties

_Alright, first with the legal stuff; we all know that the Naruto series does not belong to me. This is easy to tell because it's not all senseless gore, harrharrharr._

_Okay, now with the other stuff. Inuzuka Hanmou is my original character. If you're wondering how she's related to Inuzuka Kiba, well, she's his great niece. That means that her grandmother is Kiba's sister, Hana. All the rest of the figuring I'll leave to you. On with the fanfic!_

* * *

Part I – The Rain

Hanmou woke with a start. She sucked in air with a quick gasp, and abruptly sat up. Her eyes – or rather, the general vicinity of – seemed to be overcome by an itching, burning sensation.

She brought her hand up to rub at them. She brought her hand down again, only to discover a cool, damp feeling on it. She had broken out in a cold sweat, apparently. A light sigh escaped her lips, and she lay back down again as thunder sounded from outside.

She had had that dream again, that awful dream again... She felt the sleeping dog at her side, Ginmaru, cuddle deeper into her torso. Absently, she stroked the silver-furred pup.

She couldn't define her dream as a nightmare, for the sole reason that while she was having it, she was happy; truly, undeniably happy. It was when she woke up that the horridness of it all would settle in. She loved that memory, and wanted to be there again so badly… that was why it hurt so much. She could never go back, she knew, even if she REALLY wanted to be there. All that was left of that time, that place, were painfully nice memories, and the feeble desires to be there again.

She stopped petting her dog, and brought her hand up to clasp her chest, as though attempting to slow her wildly beating heart.

Ginmaru shifted in his sleep. Hanmou sighed again, in an attempt to regulate her breathing. She didn't want her puppy – her comrade – to worry, after all. Alas, this only proved to wake the dog. He made a gentle whine noise, one that only the keen ears of Hanmou could catch. He stretched the top half of his small torso onto Hanmou's. As if sensing her pain and worry, he began to comfortingly lick the small girl's hand. She accepted his offering of comfort by releasing her grasp on her nightclothes, and opening her hand to him. His warm tongue swept over her palm once, twice, thrice, four times. Then he pushed his head into her hand, and settled down, ready to sleep again.

"Sleep, Hanmou, sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day. Don't worry, I'm here." The dog seemed to tell her. The Inuzuka girl wondered, for a brief moment, if that was what the ninken would say if he had learnt enough to speak.

A dull ache filled the ten-year-old's heart. She willed to just be able to open her eyes again, to see Ginmaru and his beautiful silver fur again. She wanted to see that rain that was drumming gently on the roof, she wanted to see the lightning light up the night, she wanted to see her partner, her leader, her organization members, and her own reflection… she wanted to see Ginmaru and her family, just one last time.

But she knew she couldn't go back. It was too late. Just like she couldn't return home, she would never be able to open her eyes again. Just as the scars of the past and her method of healing them had forever prevented her from returning home, back to her old life, her past, the scars on her eyes and her method of hiding them prevented her from seeing her present.

Part II – The Thunder

Thunder sounded. Hanmou groped around on the floor beside her low bed, searching in the endless darkness for her hitai-ate. The cloth band came in contact with her hand. Her small, callused hand closed around it and lifted it carefully. Her fingers slid over the cool metal plate. Ah – there was the smooth spiral, with grooves on opposite ends that branched off, marking her former home of Konohagakure. And there, across it… running through it was the rough, jagged slash marring the once-perfect metal, cutting through the engraved leaf relentlessly – this marked the kunoichi's decision to leave, and the vow to never go back.

She sighed as thunder rang out. She brushed back her brown, wild hair and pressed the cool metal to her scarred, burning eyes. It felt so soothing, so calming….

That was her decision. She had chosen it. She had left home, left everything she knew and loved behind (except Ginmaru, of course). She missed her home, missed her family; she honestly did, but she had already chosen. Her decision was finalized the instant that kunai had slid over her hitai-ate; she would leave home and not come back. And to ensure this….

The memory of the kunai slicing with cruel ease into the tender flesh covering her partially functional eyes came to her mind. She shuddered. Aye, that was when she had verified it – verified that she wouldn't come back, couldn't come back.

Her place was now in the Akatsuki. She, a ten year old girl, without the gift of sight, had achieved one of the highest and most dangerous ranks in the entire world.

This was Inuzuka Hanmou's decision. This was where she belonged. Somewhere where she was of use, somewhere where the ailments of her past had no real power against her. The Akatsuki – here, among them, the strongest and most feared… yet… how strangely dignified they were...

* * *

Part III – The Lightning

More thunder. Hanmou's gentle footsteps sounded down the hallway, though only barely. Her hitai-ate was tied tightly around her eyes, hiding the scars beneath from this world… her world. Ginmaru was cradled in her small arms, the slumbering dog unaware of the absence from their bedroom. Her black, high-collared Akatsuki robe was draped over her shoulders to fight off the chill of the stormy night. Lightning flared, but her perpetually black world neglected this rather useless event.

She must not have been able to sleep; her thoughts must have been rampant once again. She paced the halls late at night like this so very often, more often than she seemed to care. She walked aimlessly down these empty, dark halls for no purpose other than to ease her mind.

She was strolling past his room right now. The door was closed, but he could see. She was silent, as always, and whatever noise she did make the pattering rain covered. Like always, along with the silence, she appeared to be mentally absent. This was her natural behaviour; she once assured him that she did this even back in Konohagakure, even before she had been given Ginmaru.

He knew he shouldn't worry, and to be honest, he was fairly sure he didn't. That brat could do as she pleased; he had no qualms, no right to stop her. But there was still that part of him… that miniscule, well hidden part of him….

With a slight breath and a slow, grim blink, the bulging veins in his temple receded. He found himself to be looking at the cold, empty wall and the closed door inside his room.

That miniscule, well hidden part of him wondered just what it was that such a young, innocent girl could be so troubled by; what it was that drove her. What could possibly drive one such as her to become so strong at such a young age, and become part of something so large, and do something so irreversible? What was it that kept the tiniest, purest (yet so powerful, the most respectful, and the most obedient) of creatures pacing so late at night?

He smirked to himself. There was no use in wondering, it wasn't really his business. They had a mission in the morning, and at least one of them should get some sleep. Lightning flashed, and lit the room. The man's white eyes glowed eerily for that one brief moment. The darkness consumed him once again as he settled down to sleep.

Hanmou would be fine, and she wouldn't allow this to affect a mission. Besides, becoming a traitor by screwing up a mission or abandoning the Akatsuki would mean death… As if to respond to the thought, his hand twitched. …A death by his very own hand. He, personally, would kill that brat if she stepped out of line. It was very unlikely, though, as she was aware of the consequences. She would stay loyal.

That was one thing about that girl that Hyuuga Shugorei was sure about.

* * *

_If you would like to hear more about this character, let me know and maybe I'll delve into her past a little more, and perhaps create a multi-chaptered story, hmm?_

_Anyway, any feed back - good, bad, random, etc. - is welcome and encouraged. Even if it's a curt "I read it." than that's cool, too._


	2. Play Time? No, it's definately not

_I'd just like to say a few things here._

_Since all y'all seemed to like "Severed Ties", I decided to turn it into a series of one-shots, which will all be posted under this "story", as separate chapters. Why, you may ask? Because those that demanded more Hanmou can get their fix without having to put my author account on alert, so they don't have to trouble themselves with a crap-load of other dumb shit I post on here XD_

_Also, I upped the rating to "teen" because there's swears in this one._

_Thanks to all for reviewing and 3ing my character! There's a little more Shugorei in this one (he's not mine, he belongs to a friend)._

_P.S. I don't own Naruto, so g'way._

_P.P.S. I wanted to put gooore in this but it didn't happen. _

_**On with the goddamned story, Zinbuki-san!**_

_Fiiiiine. –whines- I'm SORRY for liking to ramble…._

_**Hey, don't you have an English project to work on and a Science report to write?**_

_AAAH! I FORGOT! –sobs- _

_NOW ON WITH THE STORY. _

---

"Shugorei-san." A quiet, girlish voice stated.

"Hn?" A stoic, deep rumble replied.

"I'm going out. I'll be back by dinnertime."

"Dinnertime? Brat, that's a long ways off. Where the hell are you gonna be that long? You know Leader-sama doesn't want you going to 'visit' your family." The asshole was, of course, referring to the fact that instead of visiting, most Akatsuki members simply "stalked" their families or loved ones for a day or two, a few hours at the least. It was out of loneliness, more than anything. They were not supposed to do it, but they all knew that each other had tried it at least once (well, except for Shugorei, and their leader).

The blind child shook her head, and her forward-swept brown hair flopped somewhat humorously. "No, I'm just going to play with Ginmaru." She need not indicate the small, silver pup that was sleeping silently, curled up in the broad, tube-like collar of her Akatsuki coat.

Shugorei raised an eyebrow. He knew she wouldn't be able to see his face distort itself so, but he did it anyways. "It takes you that long to play with a puppy?"

"Ginmaru is a ninken," she said, coming to her best friend's/comrade's/companion's defence. "Not a mere pup. We play, we don't goof off."

The Hyuuga couldn't see the difference, so he just made a grunt of indifference. He would have shrugged and waved her off, but she wouldn't be able to see it. Before he could get to questioning how that worked out, the Inuzuka girl was already across the room and leaving.

-----

The clearing was wide, empty, and flat. Best of all, it was far enough from the Akatsuki hideout so the sounds of Hanmou and Ginmaru's playtime wouldn't disturb anyone within. Or, as Hanmou was concerned about, it wouldn't arouse anyone's curiosity. She only played with her puppy when she knew no one would interfere, or watch.

Why was this?

Well, she certainly isn't shy, and Ginmaru is even less so. Her organization wasn't likely to scold her for it. It wasn't going to be too loud.

So what was the problem?

Well, dearest readers, that's for Inuzuka Hanmou & Ginmaru to know. At least… for now.

She set the dog down (he had awoken on the trip here), and spoke softly to him. "Ginmaru," she said, tapping her hitai-ate thoughtfully. The cold metal _ping_ed gently under her claw-like nail, and she idly traced the gouge across Konoha's insignia. This was odd behaviour for her; she rarely fidgeted. It revealed her current state of restlessness. Yes, playing with her slightly-larger-than-a-cat sized dog would ease her tension. "Ginmaru," she voiced again. The dog yipped gently in return. "We're going to play. Is this area good enough?"

There was a moment of silence as Hanmou waited patiently in her world of black. Then, Ginmaru yipped affirmatively. Ah, good. That meant she had found a glade as much as three hundred feet across, at the smallest point. This also meant there were no misplaced trees or fallen logs to get in their way. Hanmou already knew there was no stream or ditch; her keen sense of smell leant her that info.

"Let's begin." She stated. She heard her dog rush off and an uncharacteristically cold grin game to her face. This would be her first playing session with her dog in a long time – life as an S-rank criminal was busy, busy, busy. Oh yes, what fun! She felt her small body twitch in excitement. She knew Ginmaru was feeling this too. They had been waiting to play for a long, long time now.

((A/N: Ah, shit, I realize how perverted that may sound D IT'S NOT LIKE THAT, I promise!))

---

It was nearing sundown. Dinner had gone and passed, and still no Hanmou. Shugorei didn't give a rat's ass where the brat was at. However, dearest leader did. He sent the grumbling Hyuuga to go find it.

It proved annoying at first. She was so small and light, and so fleet of foot that she hardly left a trail. Even his impressively developed Byakuugan couldn't seem to pick it up. Finally, though, after wandering out quite some way to the South-West of the Akatsuki stronghold, his activated Byakuugan picked up a nice little heat signature. He hurried off towards the shifting white spot. Soon thereafter, a smaller white spec of moving heat traces was detected. This one was, without a doubt, Ginmaru. They were both moving rapidly – Ginmaru's suddenly shifted. Ah, Hanmou must have used her technique to turn him into a clone of herself. _(Drawing away from the intent of this paragraph, he wondered if a Ginmaru-gone-Hanmou would be blind as well.)_

Wait, were they…? They moved rapidly towards each other, and now that he was in earshot, a grunt of pain ensued. One fell heavily to the ground. Shugorei now stood at the edge of the little clearing, keeping well out of sight. Hanmou was, without a doubt, too distracted to sense the area for other charka signatures, so he would be undetected for the time being. She couldn't hear him; the only noise he made was gentle breathing. But would she smell him…? Shit, she probably would.

He scanned the scene below him, and sucked in a sharp breath behind his high-collared black coat. There was blood _everywhere!_ Another clash happened between the two look-a-likes below, and one fell heavily to the ground. It yipped. Well, though he could see through the ninjutsu and tell it was the dog, the sound helped to prove that point. What the HELL were the brat and her mutt doing?!

The dog scrambled to his little girl feet, and lunged at Hanmou once again. Hanmou was in all out man-beast mode, her extended, black-tinged fingernails and freakishly long canines proved that. Her hair, too, seemed to have a more feral quality about it. She blocked this one with her arms. Her clone-dog's clawed hands raked down her raised arm, to her elbow. The blind girl gasped, as did Shugorei, as strips of clothing flew off, and blood began leaking quickly. It wasn't a fatal spot at all, but it would still be painful. The ten year old was covered in similar wounds, as was her dog. Ginmaru changed back to his self.

He stood panting on weak legs, facing his equally bleeding & bruised master. "G-Ginmaru…" she breathed between pants. She wasn't facing him head on, and she didn't even turn to face him. She didn't need to, and she still knew where he was. Shugorei knew full well that she could sense the dog's presence as easily as she could breathe. Shugorei realized why Hanmou hadn't sensed the Hyuuga yet; the smell of sweat and blood interfered. "Let's head back, Ginmaru."

The dog whined, despite its pitiful state. "I know, I know," she grumbled. She turned and stepped slowly towards her dog. "I want to keep going too…"

'_Is she crazy?!' _The 18-year-old Hyuuga thought with a look of utter disbelief, _'She can barely even talk, let alone move! She looks worse than she did on the return from that last mission…' _He was, of course, referring to their mission to the wave country, where the grim child had almost lost her life to a group of Kirigakure's ANBU had nearly slaughtered her.

The dog whimpered again, but snuggled into her arms as she cradled her precious bundle. "Yes, yes, Ginmaru. But we're already late." She stopped to breathe a bit. "If we take three days like last time, they might just come looking for us." She shook her head, her sweat and blood encrusted hair smacking gently against her red-fang-marked cheeks. "That won't do." She deactivated her ninjutsu, and her more feral form faded back to the calm little girl she normally was. She looked even frailer in this form. "Besides," she continued, as she began to limp her way back to where they must have entered the clearing, "I didn't have any breakfast and forgot to bring lunch. I'm hungry." Her rambles were useless; the dog had already dozed off. She stopped and stood still a moment.

"This won't do…" She shifted the dog into her collar "Henge no jutsu!" her girlish voice called tiredly, as she flashed a quick hand seal. There stood before Shugorei now, not a battered, beaten, bleeding girl and dog, but a clean, unscathed pair. She continued to walk. Her limp was still there, though.

Shugorei smirked, and then leapt from his hiding place. He silently, rapidly dashed off back to the hideout, deactivating his kekkai genkai on the way. That crafty brat… she would probably just claim she just mis-stepped as to why she limped, sneak back to her room and bandage herself and her dog up. He wondered, briefly, how many times she had done this.

And did she mention something about doing that for _three days straight?_ Certainly, even he would be quite frazzled by the end of that, had he been in that situation. He wondered just then if Hanmou was even using half her power in their sparring matches… probably not. Oh no, it wasn't like he wouldn't handle it – he certainly would be able to match her strength in hand-to-hand combat. He always won their spars, so he wondered why the brat held back on him – certainly she could at least tie with him?

"Brat…" he muttered, his face still stoic and placid, "…you never cease to amaze me."

---

_If you liked this one-shot, lemme know – give me a review, BABY! Harrharrharr. _

_No reviews mean no more Hanmou. So if you like it, then tell me. If not… tell me anyways. I'll make it better._


End file.
